The Orders authorising the Dieppe-Le Tréport offshore wind farm have been signed
The Dieppe-Le Tréport offshore wind farm project is a major energy project for Normandy and the Hauts de France, and a tangible commitment to successful energy transition in France.
On Tuesday 26th February 2019, the Prefect for the Normandy region and the Prefect for the Somme signed agreements for the construction of an offshore wind farm off the coast of Dieppe and Le Tréport (Seine-Maritime).
The latter has a total of 62 offshore wind turbines. It will be connected to the RTE electricity transmission network by a submarine electric connection. Each wind turbine will have a capacity of 8 MW. The annual production of the farm is estimated at 2,000 GWh per year, that is, the equivalent of the annual consumption of 850,000 people.
The Dieppe-Le-Tréport wind farm and the protection of biodiversity
The company Eoliennes en Mer Dieppe Le Tréport (“EMDT”) is committed to the protection of marine biodiversity through the reduction of the farm’s environmental impact. It has launched many studies and called on the services of recognised experts to carry out an environmental impact study of its offshore wind farm.
Biotope has worked as a consultant since the start of the project alongside the company “Eoliennes en Mer Dieppe Le Tréport” to take into consideration the issues for birds, marine mammals, bats and marine reptiles in the farm’s design. In 12 years, the consultancy and its partners have completed 19 boat trips, 44 plane trips, 8 months of continuous radar monitoring of bird migrations, 1 year of submarine acoustics, 6 months of listening to bats from a buoy, 1 year of monitoring migration from the coast, and 2 programmes of telemetric monitoring of seals, among others. That complete initial report has provided input to the impact study, the Natura 2000 impact assessments, the “Protected Species” exemption file, etc.
Avoidance and reduction measures enabling the reduction of the farm’s potential impact on avian fauna, marine mammals, the physical environment and the landscape have been set out on the EMDT website. A significant monitoring programme is also envisaged for the farm’s entire lifespan.
Commissioning of the farm in 2023
A public inquiry was held from 16th October to 29th November 2018. The commissioning of the farm with a total capacity of 496MW is set for 2023.
A unique experience for Biotope
Biotope has taken part in most of the offshore wind farm projects currently being developed in France: Dieppe – Le Tréport, Fécamp, St Brieuc, St Nazaire, Yeu – Noirmoutier, Gruissan, Leucate, Faraman, and others. These unique experiences have more than ever made Biotope an undisputed leader in this sphere.
